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Friday, October 5, 2012

Same-Sex Marriage and Popular Music. . .

"Music is a map and a mirror." That's been a mantra we've repeated over and over here at CPYU ever since we started doing what we do. As a map, it shapes the values, attitudes, and resulting behaviors of listeners. . . especially impressionable children and teens. As a mirror, it offers us a clear window into what is thought about, valued, and lived in contemporary culture.

Next Tuesday, rapper Macklemore and his creative partner Ryan Lewis will release their debut album, The Heist. A pre-release single that's gaining some fast and furious traction and attention is "Same Love," a pro-same-sex marriage song that's got a video treatment that traces the birth-to-death life of a gay men. Macklemore, from Washington state, penned and performed the tune in support of the state's Ref 74 and marriage equality. This song both maps and mirrors life in powerful ways.

In the next few days I'll be taking a closer look at the song and video. Before blogging on it, writing a "3D" review, and responding to both the song's message and significance, I want to let the song and its message percolate a bit. This song, I believe, is indicative of a significant moment in popular culture. It demands our careful attention and a carefully crafted response.

Until then, I want to encourage you to listen and watch. I want to encourage you to pray through a proper, God-glorifying and biblical response. The temptation will be to shut it off, scoff, and even curse it. Instead, I think we need to consider the fact that we are at a watershed time in our culture where we need to think through how to best represent our Lord in our response to the issue of homosexuality. I want to do what's right. . . both in embracing what is right and communicating that in the right way.

4 comments:

Thanks Walt for posting this blog and referencing this video and song. In our own ministry I have had just recently over 5 conversations regarding this crucial issue and how we should respond to it as Christians. So much dialogue that we are doing a 2 week series on Same-Sex Marriage with our teens... I am struggling through the issue myself, not my moral or Biblical stance, but how we respond to it as followers of Jesus and how we help our students understand it in a culture where they rub shoulders with homosexuals every day. Thanks for bringing this issue up Walt and please keep this issue in the forefront of what you are doing!

This video is an excellent illustration of the fact that there are LGBT Christians. The marriage ceremony in this video was preformed by a minister possibly even in a church. LGBT Christians are our brothers and sisters in Christ, they profess a saving belief in Christ. They have loving, committed relationships and they are asking to be acknowledged. As the video shows, we once condemned interracial marriage and have perpetuated years of hatred based on conservative interpretations of the Bible. Christians need to take a serious look around at the people we are condemning now. Many of these people are faithful Christians. I don't know how you do things in your church, but in mine we don't walk around condemning each other based on our interpretations of the morality of each other's sexual behavior. Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself. Paul said there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. We need to accept LGBT Christians and let them fully participate in the Family of God.

Wow, I think this is such a challenging subject. I think it can be difficult to have an open conversation on this topic that allows for careful consideration of the things folks feel from church as well as the pressures or assumptions of culture. I think love and care of others who we are uncomfortable with is something worth wrestling hard with. This video is a good starting place for a conversation... thanks Walt

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Who I am. . .

Walt Mueller. . . a guy who was made, messed up, and mercifully made over by His grace. . . struggling to live life to His glory in the now but not yet Kingdom of God. . . longing to enter into that glorious time when what originally was will be fully restored.

How I spend my days. . .

after several years doing youth ministry, I've spent the last 24 years studying, writing, and speaking about youth culture with a great group of folks at the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. I've been married to my wife Lisa for over 30 years and we've been blessed with four children. . . and twin grandchildren.